Chapter 10: A Pillar's Dilemma
"What do you mean by that?" Rizusa asked, sitting in her room having tea with Minako, noting the girl's unease about bringing up the situation. Emiko had been following around Kirishima ever since they arrived here. Sure, she'd occasionally vanish somewhere, but the girl went to every class with him too… granted, Ayumi was going to some as well, but not all of them.
"She's borderline stalking, Rizu-nee… I think its because she's comfortable with him, but…" she sighed. "I don't know how to tell her that she needs to cool it…"
"Its not like she's following him into the changing rooms or anything… not like Ayumi would try to do to Tama…" Rizusa sipped her drink, Minako nodding in silent agreement. "But… I suppose it must be distracting for Kirishima-kun too…" she sighed. "Has Emiko mentioned anything?"
"Not that she told me… Just that he's the nicest of the four we met when they came for their lesson, so…" Minako bit into a cookie, Rizusa glancing at the plate in front of her friend before refilling it with a couple more small cookies, also taking a moment to refill the blackette's tea. "I don't know, Rizu-nee… maybe she's just following him because he's safe to her?"
"It's fine, don't stress about it." Rizusa bit into a cookie as Minako took a sip of her tea. "If Emi's needing security, then its not a problem… Besides, she's using her inventions to aid Aizawa-sensei and the others in their classes, or making things for home when we return." She added. "Its not harming either one, and for now if Kirishima-kun doesn't find it to be a problem, then I say it's just Emiko getting accustomed to the environment again."
"… I suppose…"
"Besides, if she's not trying to sneak into the locker rooms with him, we can be sure that she's not on Ayumi's level yet."
"… Yes, you're right." Minako sighed in relief. "Thank you, Rizu-nee…"
"You're welcome. Now finish your tea and some more cookies. You need to get back to your work soon, so have at least some energy before you go." Rizusa said, standing up, her cup and plate empty of all the snacks and drink she'd had a few minutes before. She wandered outside into the dorm halls, glancing around before heading downstairs to the communal kitchen on the first floor. She opened the fridge, noting that Ayumi had gone and gotten all the groceries she requested, smiling a little. "Alright… no slacking tonight, Rizusa." She told herself, grabbing the groceries and laying them all across the counter, starting to chop and slice things up, a little dragon doll appearing at her side. "Lula, good morning." She smiled, the little pink and aqua dragon doll jumping a little in greeting. "What do you say we have fun today, ne?"
As the students walked up to their dorm from their afternoon training, they heard some sort of beat coming from inside the dorm hall. As they opened the door, they were hit with tantalizing aromas of all sorts of food being cooked. They rushed over to the mess hall, eyes widening as they saw Rizusa standing in front of the stove, flipping something in a pan, the little pink and aqua doll at her side booming music that gave Rizusa enough rhythm to sway to the music. She turned to see the students, smiling a little. "Ah, welcome back." She stated, all of them surprised to see the leader of the Four Dragons standing there in an apron and a casual outfit cooking a meal to some upbeat music. "You're all working hard, I see." She mentioned, referring to some of them with small scrapes and dings visible. "Go wash up, dinner's gonna be done in about half an hour or so."
"Whoa, Rizusa-san made us dinner?!"
"Its like having a housewife…"
"Waaah, thank you Rizusa-san!"
"I can't wait, it smells so good!" As the others rushed up to their rooms to go wash up, Todoroki stopped next to the counter.
"… Did you need any help…?"
"I'm alright. Thank you though, Shoto." She nodded her head. "Ah… though…" she turned to a pot on the stove, taking a ladle and dipping it in, pouring it into a small dish, handing it to him. "Is the soup too salty…?" He took the dish, sipping it and shaking his head.
"It's very well balanced."
"Hehe, thanks." She smiled a little more. "I haven't made this soup in a while… I figured it would be a nice treat both for you guys and for the other three." She added, moving to mix another pot on the stove, then opening the oven to reveal some items that had been broiling. "I hope everyone likes these dishes… I tried to get a good range so everyone could enjoy the meal thoroughly."
"I'm sure they will." He replied. "I'll be back down to help you set up the plates."
"Ah, thank you, that would be great." She nodded, watching him head off before Lula jumped on her shoulder, nuzzling her shoulder and no longer playing music. "Yes?" The little dragon bounced, grinning as she played a new song. It referred to young love, making Rizusa's cheeks color a little. "Lula, no." she scolded. The dragon doll pouted, but vanished on command, the bluenette sighing a little and continuing to finish making dinner. "… I will not… I cannot…" she whispered to herself. "… Not again."
Mianko had a look on her face that caused Tokoyami to wonder what was wrong. The medical practitioner always seemed to either be smiling or have a calculating look on her face. However the young man noticed that her face was set in a pout, though almost unnoticeable, it was there. She had been looking like that for days. Finally, after finishing the dinner Rizusa prepared for the group, he followed her outside and asked her what was wrong. "It's really nothing…"
"It must be something… you look distressed, Minako-san." Now normally, Tokoyami wouldn't being things like this up. He felt like he had to. For some reason, seeing Minako this way was causing him to worry.
"Its just me thinking too much, I think." She smiled as they stopped at a tree. Minako climbed up into the tree, Tokoyami following. "Rizusa… is upset… Emiko's off in her own world… and Ayumi, well…" she smiled a little. "I guess I always worry what's going through Ayumi's head." She added. "I know that things are changing for the Conglomerate, but… sometimes I wonder."
"She seems to have a handle on it, from my perspective."
"She always does… but even then, occasionally she gets this look on her face… she looks so sad… and lonely." Minako leaned back against the tree trunk as the breeze flowed through the tree branches. "Rizusa shouldn't be lonely… she's the beloved leader of the Conglomerate, but somehow she still looks lonely."
"… Is it because she's the leader?" Tokoyami asked.
"Sometimes I think it could be that… but other times, I know better." She turned to him. "She's lonely because she's got so much love to give, and no one to give it to."
"What do you mean?"
"I think its because she's so aloof, but she's never been able to get close to anyone outside of the organization." Minako said simply, Tokoyami's eyes wide in disbelief at the statement. "No one ever wanted to get close to her, either. They were scared or intimidated… she was too different… in a league all her own… and that made her very sad for a long time."
"… She was too prestigious."
"Yes, and the sad part is that she's really the sweetest thing when you get to know her." She glanced at her hand, then at the sky. "But she's also doing it to herself… pushing people away."
"Why's that?"
"Because being the leader of the conglomerate means being a target… and putting anyone who comes around in grave danger as well…" Minako gripped her hand in a fist. "She tried once… to make friends with a boy who knew nothing of the conglomerate in middle school… but when an enemy got wind of it, that boy was nearly killed. He only recently was released from the hospital."
"…" Tokoyami suddenly felt heavy; that was terrifying, to think that even in middle school things like that happened. "That must have been devastating."
"It was… Rizusa was a wreck for a while after that." Minako took a deep breath, calming herself down. "She vowed to never get close to anyone outside the conglomerate again, but it hurts her a lot… because even if she wants to prevent any of us from getting hurt, her heart is too big. Whenever something goes wrong, she wants to right it… whenever someone gets hurt she wants to help… whenever some wrong happens, she wants to fix it."
"That's what makes her a good hero."
"Yes, but its also a weakness that she cannot overlook." Minako added. "How many times, she's gotten herself hurt for us… how many times she's put everyone else first, even though she's hurting… I know she's trying to be strong but for once I wish she'd just focus on herself… find happiness for herself…" she paused, turning to Tokoyami. "Sorry, this must be boring… to hear about trivial worries like this."
"Not at all." He shook his head. "If it means that much, perhaps you should get the other two members and put something together for her? Either a small party or a present to show her that you're thinking of her? If you need help gathering things, I could assist." Minako stared for a moment at Tokoyami, a smile soon gracing her features again.
"That's a great idea!" she exclaimed, her smile suddenly much brighter. "A party for her… she's never let us throw parties for her aside from on her birthday, but that would definitely snap her out of it." She nodded. "Oh, and its only a few days until the day she officially formed our generation of the Conglomerate! That would be the perfect way to celebrate!" Tokoyami watched as Minako planned it all out in her head, glad that she seemed pleased with the idea. "Could you get the rest of your class involved too? At least if they want to join in… It'll definitely make the party more lively, at least!"
"I'll ask them tomorrow." He nodded, Minako smiling cheerfully.
"That's great, thank you!" Tokoyami nodded again, glad to see Minako wasn't looking distressed any longer.
"A party for Rizusa-san?" Midoriya asked. Tokoyami had brought up the idea before homeroom started, Ayumi and Emiko also present in the room.
"That sounds like so much fun!"
"Even though the subject's not super fun…"
"Well it's a huge thing isn't it? Forming her generation of the conglomerate and all."
"Ahaha, she'll be so surprised~" Ayumi grinned, Emiko nodding in agreement. "We haven't thrown her a party not on her birthday in so long~"
"What kind of foods does she like? We can go grab it from the market."
"Oh but we gotta hide it from her… keep her out of the dorm while we set up. Any volunteers?"
"Wouldn't it make her suspicious though?"
"The girls could take her shopping…"
"I don't think Rizu-nee would buy that…" Emiko stated, shaking her head. "Ayumi would spill the beans."
"Oh Emi, hush I would not." She pouted, the white haired girl shrugging her shoulders. They discussed it for a few more moments when Shoto walked in to the room, everyone turning to him. "Ah, Todoroki-kun!" Ayumi's eyes lit up. "You can take Rizu-nee somewhere to distract her!"
"… Huh?" After being let in on the idea, Shoto shook his head. "You're all crazy… where would I take her anyway?" he asked.
"But Todoroki-kun, pleeeease?" Ayumi pouted at him. "I know Rizu-nee has taken a shine to you, please at least distract her for a little while? Even if its just training, at least it'll keep her occupied while we set up, please?" After about 5 minutes of Ayumi's pestering, Shoto sighed, hanging his head.
"Alright, I'll do it…"
"Yay! Todoroki-kun~!" Ayumi shook his hand vigorously to confirm their deal, Shoto making a face. How did Amajiki handle Ayumi's bubbly, shimmering nature? It was blinding. Emiko looked at Kirishima, who looked excited at the mention of training.
"I think Kiri-chi would be a good training partner for Rizu-nee too…" Emiko added. "I'll supervise her to make sure she doesn't leave before you're all prepared."
"Oh, good idea. That way we have a way to communicate without looking suspicious." Kirishima nodded with a grin. Emiko nodded her head as well.
"Sounds great, Emi~!" Ayumi cheered, hugging her friend. "I'll tell Tama to bring his friends too~! That way it'll be more lively~!"
"More lively than it already is? Frightening." Emiko said as Ayumi swung her around. And so the plans were set. Todoroki and Kirishima would ask Rizusa for a training session. And if Kirishima went, Bakugou would come along for a chance to fight the woman too. He wanted to gauge her power. Ojiro and Midoriya also got volunteered thanks to their hands-on fighting styles. Tokoyami, Shoji, Uraraka, Yaoyorazu, and Minako were in charge of shopping, while Ayumi and the rest of the students would be tasked with preparing the dorm for the party. As class started, Shoto let out a small sigh, trying to focus on the lesson.
"Sparring…?" The whole room was on edge when Todoroki asked Rizusa about the sparring match on their next day off. "Sure… but why so suddenly?" she asked.
"Oh sparring?!" Kirishima jumped in. "I wanna spar again, Sis!"
"S-sis…" she hid her face, Kirishima laughing.
"I would like to spar too, if that's okay…" Midoriya added. "I really do want to see Dragon Doll in action." He added, trying to contain his excitement.
"Me too." Ojiro stated. "I remember seeing your quirkless brawl match from the UA Sports Festival… I would like to have a match with you as well." He bowed his head, Rizusa seeming a little overwhelmed with all the attention. But she sighed, smiling a little.
"Ahh, alright." She said, everyone's eyes lighting up a little. "I'll do it." Bakugou grumbled, eventually getting pulled into the fray too, since Kirishima insisted on dragging him in. "Oh… Bakugou-kun too?"
"He's a little hot headed but it'll be a good match I think." Kirishima grinned, Bakugou turning to him with that look on his face, calling him stupid, turning back to Rizusa with a wordy, mouth-off challenge before walking away to his room. Rizusa stared at he left, chuckling a little once he was up the stairs.
"I look forward to a good fight, then."
Meanwhile, in the hideout of the League of Villains, Dabi had pulled Kurogiri aside to have a chat. "A side venture?" Kurogiri asked.
"It has to do with The Four Dragons Conglomerate. I heard from a reliable source that they went to stay at UA." Dabi replied. "However, I also know that an important day to remember is coming up for their leader. She'll leave UA's grounds and be alone for an entire day." He stated. "I want to stoke the fire that another villain started. Strike some fear into those who think that the Conglomerate is untouchable." He added. "Shaking up an old organization's roots is sure to get some attention."
"What will that earn the League of Villains, though?" Kurogiri asked.
"If I do it right, it'll earn a lot of press and break the Conglomerate's leader." He stated simply.
"Do you… know her?"
"Maybe once." He replied. "All I need is to go to a specific place for about 20 minutes that day… that will set it in motion."
"Hmm…" Kurogiri thought it over, wondering if it would benefit their group. Eventually, he nodded. "Alright… so long as nothing else is planned that day at that time, I will send you to wherever it is you need to go." He replied, Dabi nodding his head before turning to walk off.
"Heh… And so we shall meet again, Little miss Dragon."
((DRAMA TIME. Dabi knows something about Rizusa! What is he planning? Stay tuned to find out!
I watched some fan theories about the MHA universe today, gave me some inspiration. Hope you all like it~
-Winter Cheshire))